Final contents page

Construction of my contents page

One tool I decided to use when constructing my contents page was the lasso tool and I then created this particular piece of the picture as a new level. I was then able to change the brightness of my models skin in order to pull her out from the picture and make her stand out. I feel that this has worked well and she stands out from the background as I left the background as quite dark. Below I have shown how I changed the brightness and contrasts. I did this by going to image and adjustments and then selecting brightness and contrast.

Once I had finished editing my photo I opened InDesign and started to create my contents. As my contents page was going to be almost wholly a picture there was not too much in the making of it.

Once I had placed in the picture I decided to add my text. I wanted the picture to the side as my front cover picture was centred. I first had to create the text. The picture below shows the changing of the colour of my text and how I did this. I decided to use the colours of White and Red as it continues with the colour scheme of my magazine and goes with the colours of the picture.

I then added the border which I then arranged to go to the back. Here you can see that I did this by selecting the line too and then changing the 'pt' of it to make it thicker and change it from a single line to a thick background border for the text to go in front of as it gives a greater impact as the text would have sunk into the background of the picture.

Contents page first draft

This was the first draft of my contents page. Although they picture was strong and I like the way I had layed out the contents title there were several things I felt needed to be changed. The picture was centralized just like my front cover and this made it too repetitive, so I have decided to move my model to the side. The pulled out quote will therefore no longer be needed as it was just filling up space and looked rather out of place. Secondly, the text fades into the background so I will need to create a border behind the text along the side to ensure that the text is readable. My final problem with my contents page is that my model could stand out more, if I use Photoshop to manipulate the photo and make her brighter in contrast to the dark background it will make the page a lot stronger. These are the problems with my first draft and what I hope to change.

contents page hand drawn designs

In order to create my contents page, as with my front cover I decided to draw some designs to plan how I will go about it and what will work best. The bottom right hand corner design I feel is really weak and does not look professional as with contents pages that I have researched they do not show text the whole way round the contents page and it is usually just situated to one side. I also feel that the top left hand corner one the pulled out quote is unneccasary as I have already done this with my front cover and I do not want them to look the same, it needs to be easily distinguished as a contents page. This leaves me to decide between the top right and bottom left.

The bottom left is only slightly different to the top right as I have created it so the text is infront of a border and not faded into the background. I feel this is the design that I am going to choose because then it will be easier to understand the text as the picture I am chosing is not a plain background.

contents page title research

These are the contents page titles I have created, using my research I have taken ideas from this and tried to create something of my own. In the end I decided to use the White font contents with the black background. I decided to use this as I felt it fitted with the style of my magazine best and went with my research as it was used in one of my contents page that I had searched. I then took this design and tried different colours and sizes:

After looking at all 3 of these designs I finally decided to use the white contents font with the black background as I felt it was more eye catchy and bold, and therefore would attract my audience. Here is my finished contents page where you can see the title.

specific contents page research

After researching the previous contents pages I decided to look more specifically into my genre and the contents page that I would like to use. Looking at these three contents pages I have decided to create my contents page just like these. I will create the word contents so that it goes across three lines on the top left hand or right hand corner as I feel it stands out more than an average 'contents' I also think that it is very unique and so far has only been used by vibe magazine which these three contents have all come from. As they are from Vibe magazine I know that they will attract my audience and social group as Vibe magazine is the leading magazine of that genre. I also like how the features are layed out along the side. I think that the first contents page uses this really well, having a thin column with headings that separates what is in the magazine making it easy to understand what is where and easier to find what you are looking for. I also like that they have all used one large picture on the whole contents, this gives it a solid look and makes it stand out. The person used on each of these looks intriguing and interesting to read about which will attract the audience.

Detailed contents page research

I have chosen this contents page of Kanye West to look research and analyse in detail. Firstly, the dull colours although usually would not work well as there is a bright red heart brings attention to the heart which then links to the title of his album '808's and heartbreak.' This automatically tells the audience what the feature is going to be about. The consistent grey allows the bold black of the title 'contents' to stand out and give it impact, along with the unusual shape and order of the word. I also feel that this allows it to be clear as to what the page is and stops any confusion as the title does not sink into the background. The two subheadings of 'features' and 'fashion' allows the audience to quickly find what they are looking for as it breaks up the magazine in to sections and this will make it easier for the reader to locate what they are looking for. This I will definitely take into account when creating my magazine as if all features are listed together people may find it difficult to find the specific story they are looking for. The mysterious arm coming from behind Kanye adds a 'sexual' tone to the contents page which goes well with the social group and will intrigue them. By placing Kanye to the side it allows him to have a bigger impact and keeps the text separate, rather than having to put the text around him as this would have just mirrored the front page. This again is something I will definitely consider using in my contents page.

Things from this contents page that I would like to carry forward will be the use of the picture to the side. I would like part of my picture to be dark and then part of the model to be bright to highlight them. I am also going to set out my contents title in the same way this has as I feel it is edgy and different from others. Finally, I am going to position my text and model in the same place as I feel by putting them to either side it is a break from the centralised front cover. I will also break up my contents page into sections such as 'features' 'music' and 'fashion' etc so that it is easier for the reader to find exactly what they are looking for.

general contents page research

This contents page shows singer Ciara dressed in a grey bodysuit lying at a sideways angle with her legs stretched out above her. The body language she uses signals attitude which is also noticeable in her facial expression. She is wearing grey high heels which blend nicely with the dark to light grey background. On the left side there is two subheadings listed, ‘Features' and 'Fashion.' The text is black and is serif in font, keeping it clear and not too complicated. The title 'CONTENTS' is spread in a lined order which is a very different and vintage style to give the page. The original outlook works with the vintage photograph. The title is in sans serif white bold which contrasts the dark page.

This is the contents page to the magazine Vibe. The colour of the background matches the colours of the costume Nicki is wearing and makes her look like a snow queen still in the theme of her being a queen. Vibe have kept their contents page fairly simple, just a page reference a brief into to what the page is about then underneath a little description, it's not ordered into regulars and features but follows the trend of keeping the contents to the side with the picture being the main feature of the magazine. This gives a strong outwards appearance for the magazine and makes the model appear strong. The model used in the contents page for Vibe was also featured on their double page spread, therefore I will think about this when looking into creating my double page spread and keeping the models consistent.

I also chose this magazine contents page to research as it is different from my other researched contents page. Instead it features multiple pictures all creating a statement and showing a broader range of what will be in the magazine. The contents page is still listed to the sides but instead has two columns with the pictures in the middle. It also uses a range of models and is divided into each section with a description of what will be featured on each page. The colour's used in the pictures are also consistent with the text as we see red appear many times throughout each of the pictures and with the word contents and the sub headings, this makes it stand out and draw attention to the pictures and the topics that are featured in this magazine, this is something i would like to bring forward in my magazine contents page as I feel it gives it a professional, consistent look.

This contents page like the first 2 has all the information for the contents page along the side in a neat column with one picture. Again in this picture the woman looks powerful standing in a way so that she draws attention to herself. The colours of the outfit on the model go with the title and the orange titles along the contents page. The titles like the ones before with the colour of the title matching the sub headings. This contents page does not have a specific title that says 'contents' instead it has the title of the magazine in bold letters which gives it a powerful stance, it also has the website of the magazine underneath letting readers know they can also go online. The different shades of orange on the title give it a summery vibe. As my magazine is a winter edition i could think of doing different shades of grey to give it a frosty look etc. The hair up is a strong look which highlights the models cheekbones and dark eyes, I feel this gives a winter look and i will incorporate this onto my model when creating the contents page. This contents again just uses one model, like the Nicki Minaj cover she is standing to the right hand side, Nicki Minaj used the look of a Queen in order to make her look powerful, this woman again looks powerful but in the way she is standing and her clothes as if making a statement so the use of a powerful looking model is essential in creating a good contents page.